Doing an image quality test at 1600 ISO

[CourierCam]

I just added an Epson R-D1 to my stable of cameras and I'm still in the testing stage.
As a sports photographer, I take a lot of available-light images, usually with my Canon AF digital systems.
I took my Epson R-D1 out last week, thinking "why can't I use this camera for journalism." I don't always have to shoot with the automated (and sometimes boring digital SLR) and thought I'd do a low light test with the Epson.
I've been playing with the Raw settings and loving it for landscapes. Indoors I shoot a lot of fast-action low-light sporting events.
The Epson was seriously challenged by both and you can't subject any rangefinder to this type of test. It's just not fair.
I was wrong.
I shot this image at 1600 ISO, using my 60 year old 50mm 1.4 MIOJ Tokyo Nikkor. Exposure is 1/250 f:2 using available light. AWESOME image quality on Raw setting. I think love this little Epson!
Here's a link to the image even though the image size was seriously turned down to load onto the Internet.​

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=94930
Like to know what you think of my low light tests?
Jim Headley

 

[Fred Burton]

It's an ISO 1600 shot but not a low light shot. 1/250 at anything is not the situation that gets you into trouble with high ISO digital shooting. What gets into trouble is very high contrast, extremely low light shooting where the digital noise dominates areas of the photo.

I wish our high school gyms were that well lighted here. I'm usually shooting at ISO 3200 around a 60th of a second if available light. A couple of 1200 watt second strobes hanging from the ceiling on each end of the gym takes care of that problem, though. 🙂